Koranic scholar Ahmet Tekir estimates that there are now "almost a hundred" translations on the Turkish market. [...] "Nearly a million translations sell each year, costing anything up to $70 a copy: there is money in this for those immoral enough to look to make profit from the Koran."
But it isn't just personal gain that pushes people to offer up new translations, theologians complain. It is also the desire of various religious groups to carve out a niche for themselves in the market. "Each group has a different interpretation of Islam," says Ebubekir Sifil. "Each of them wants to legitimize their interpretation through the Koran. The best way to do that is to translate it."
